Chapter 1082 - 413: Toto’s Visit

Qin Miao didn’t hesitate and answered the phone directly.

As soon as the call connected, Zhou Guanyu’s voice came through: "Qin Miao! Did you see the news? The latest ones! Geely really joined the race!"

Qin Miao nodded and said, "Didn’t I tell you this news earlier? Why so excited?"

Qin Miao could actually understand why Zhou Guanyu was so excited. While he might not have experienced it himself, within the predominantly European F1 paddock, people like Qin Miao, Zhou Guanyu, and Tsunoda, who are Asian, are not as well-received as the usual European counterparts.

When an Asian driver and a European driver are placed together, and if the two drivers’ skills are comparable, or even if the Asian driver’s skills are slightly superior to the European’s.

When these two choices are presented to teams urgently needing drivers, they’re very likely to choose the European driver.

It’s not just about racial discrimination, but because having a European driver makes the team’s races on the F1 calendar more appealing and naturally brings in more money from fans.

For Zhou Guanyu, the entry of a Chinese team means that as long as his performance isn’t subpar, he doesn’t need to worry about his seat as a driver.

"Although I knew it beforehand, when the news officially came out, I couldn’t help but feel excited. A domestic team, the very first Chinese F1 team in history! We’re witnessing history."

"It’s certainly worth celebrating, but honestly, I deserve 90% of the credit for this," Qin Miao said with hands on his hips.

"You are truly..." Zhou Guanyu was just about to criticize Qin Miao, but thinking of his achievements in the F1 paddock, he was at a loss for words.

Truth be told, F1’s influence in China is no less than traditional competitions like the NBA, largely because of Qin Miao’s brilliant performance in his first F1 season and winning the drivers’ championship, which attracted a lot of attention to F1 in China.

After all, Chinese people are known for focusing on results. After Qin Miao won the world championship on the F1 stage, F1’s viewership in China increased sixfold in just one year in 2022.

Even because of Qin Miao, Mercedes’ car sales in China increased by 20% last year, despite the fact that most vehicles sold domestically are electric, while traditional fuel vehicles have weakened in the market.

It’s safe to say that the sales growth of all traditional fuel car manufacturers has slowed, and some companies are even declining, while only Mercedes’ sales continue to grow.

Moreover, with the increased attention to F1 in China, naturally there’s money to be made, which also serves as better publicity. This is one reason why Geely is speeding up its entry into F1.

So Zhou Guanyu changed his tune quickly: "Indeed, impressive! You deserve the credit!"

Sometimes, Zhou Guanyu admitting defeat felt more satisfying to Qin Miao than praises from someone like Frankie Toto.

Qin Miao didn’t know why.

But he was indeed quite happy now.

"But are you really planning to leave Alfa Romeo now? The performance of Alfa’s cars is still decent; as long as they don’t mess around, you can generally finish in the points in each race.

But we can’t guarantee the performance of Geely’s cars yet. If they start at the bottom when they just enter, won’t you be stuck in a bad position?"

Zhou Guanyu wasn’t dumb, and he directly replied: "No way, with someone like you in the paddock, serving as an unlucky example.

I never thought about winning the drivers’ championship, but I still want to try winning a Grand Prix and see how it feels."

Qin Miao scratched his head in confusion: "Even if you want to win a Grand Prix, it’s impossible with Alfa Romeo."

As for Zhou Guanyu calling him an unlucky role model, Qin Miao simply ignored it.

Exchanging jabs and insults has become a routine between him and Zhou Guanyu.

"I don’t have any other teams to choose from.

I’m just waiting for a bumper car at the starting stage, waiting for someone like a nobleman on a track like Hengelo to push all of you out of the race, and then I’ll race against Hockenheim, Mick, and the others."

"Get some sleep. You can dream about all of that." Qin Miao rolled his eyes.

"Why call it dreaming? Reality is always more magical than you think; it’s not impossible for such things to happen," Zhou Guanyu said.

"Yeah, yeah, just get some sleep." After saying that, Qin Miao’s phone rang again, and when he picked it up, it was a call from Toto.

Now that Qin Miao and Zhou Guanyu had almost finished their chat, Qin Miao said directly: "Toto is calling me, he usually doesn’t. If he’s suddenly calling, it should be about Geely."

"Alright, let’s talk later, see you in France then."

"Okay, I’m hanging up." Zhou Guanyu decisively agreed. After all, he contacted Qin Miao out of excitement from receiving this news and wanted to share his excitement with his friend. If not Qin Miao, there’s always Leclerc and others.

After disconnecting the call, Qin Miao answered Toto’s call: "Boss, good morning."

"Good morning, Qin Miao. Are you at home in Brackley now?"

"Yes, I’m at home."